Professors urge U of M to postpone grad school restructuring

24 current and retired University of Minnesota professors have signed on to a letter asking the school to postpone restructuring the U's Graduate School.

The regents-level professors sent the letter to protest how the University made the decision. Professor Steven Ruggles said faculty was not consulted about the restructuring.

"We want to work together, we don't want to work in an adversarial way," Ruggles said. "We're supposed to be partners that have an equal role in trying to make strategic decisions for the university."

A spokesman for the University said the restructuring plan has been discussed with faculty leadership for more than a decade. He also said it was approved by collegiate deans at the U and is being implemented now.

By fall, a new department in the provost's office will take over the duties of the Graduate School, a free-standing college within the U that provides oversight and support of graduate programs.

Some of the 50 employees in the department will be moved to other offices at the U. University officials said some positions will be eliminated.

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